Line your ingredients up in small containers on a table in the front of the room.

Place a spoon in front of each ingredient.

Write the Scripture on the slip of paper, and put the slip of paper in your chef’s hat or somewhere else you can easily get to it during the lesson.

Hide the snack cakes somewhere that no one will be able to see them.

Practice the script.

Procedure

Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):

“How many of you like cake?” (Acknowledge responses.)

“Me, too! I love it!”

“Hey, if you like cake, maybe you can help me with something!”

“Can I get ten volunteers to come up front?” (Select 10 volunteers. Have each one take up a position behind one of the ingredients. If you don’t have enough participants, have some of them taste more than one ingredient in the upcoming demonstration.)

“So, I like cake a lot, and you like cake a lot, right?”

“Then, let’s make some cake!”

“I have this recipe.” (Hold up a sheet of paper to represent your recipe.)

“That’s why I need you guys. Each one of you is responsible for one of these ingredients.”

“So, let’s see…the recipe says, ‘Preheat oven to 350 degrees.’”

“Oops, I forgot to do that part.”

“’Grease and flour two, nine-inch cake pans.’”

“Uh-oh…I didn’t do that, either.”
“’Mix all the ingredients for three minutes. Then pour into cake pans and bake in over for 35 minutes…’”

“35 minutes! That’s WAY too long! We don’t have that kind of time.”

“I’ve got a better idea!”

“Let’s just eat the ingredients one at a time.”

“They are all going to the same place anyway, right?”

“When they get to our bellies, they will mix together to make a cake!”

“So, here’s where I need your help!”

“I need each of you to take one spoonful of your ingredient and tell us how it tastes.” (Most won’t want to try their ingredient, but urge them a few times. If they still don’t want to do it, say, “Oh, all right! I’ll try it.” Then, make a big show of how bad it tastes. Gag, sputter, buckle your knees, gasp, whatever… Even if they try their ingredient first, you should also try it. The only exception would be the eggs, because eating raw eggs might make you sick.)

“That reminds me of a Bible verse!” (Take off your hat, and pull out the slip of paper with the Scripture on it. Ask one of your volunteers to read it aloud.)

“This Scripture means that God uses ALL THINGS for our good – good things and bad things – good ingredients like the sugar and milk and bad ingredients like the baking soda and vinegar.”

“God mixes them all together in our lives to help make us into the people He wants us to become.”

“This won’t happen right away…it will take time.”

“Many times in life, we have to go through tings that are really bitter and unpleasant.”

“At the time, they seem terrible, but God has a recipe, and He will take that bad thing and make something good out of it if we will just be patient and wait for Him to work.”

“But if we will trust God with even the bitter stuff in our lives, He will bring the sweetness out – just like in these cakes that I forgot I bought this weekend!!!” (Give each volunteer one of the snack cakes.)

“How do those taste?” (Acknowledge responses. Then thank and dismiss your volunteers. Use the Debriefing Questions and the Rhyme Time below to reinforce the learning.)

Debriefing Questions

Why do you think God allows us to go through the bitter and difficult things in our lives?

Have you ever been through something terrible but then seen later how God used it to help you? (Allow one or two to share their examples.)

Based on what you’ve learned, how will you handle those bitter and difficult times in the future?

This object lesson shows how God can protect us during times of suffering and temptation. It uses some science and some surprising ways to keep balloons from popping even when pierced or put over a flame.

Scriptures

Psalm 32:7

Materials

Balloons (3 per child and 5 for facilitator (includes a few extras just in case))

Wooden skewers (2 per child and 2 for facilitator)

Vegetable oil (just a little to dip the skewers in)

Duct tape (1 roll)

Candle with a stand (1 set)

Matches or a lighter

Medicine dropper (1 – for putting water into a balloon before you blow it up)

Water (1 cup per group)

Bible

Preparation

Get your materials ready.

Practice the script.

Procedure

Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):

“Did you know that bad stuff happens to everyone – even Christians?” (Listen for responses.)

“If you don’t follow Jesus, you’ll be like this balloon when bad stuff happens.” (Blow up and tie a balloon.)

“That’s not good! I don’t want to be like that balloon, do you?” (Listen for responses.)

“But Christians don’t have to worry, because God protects them when bad stuff happens.” (Have a volunteer read Psalm 32:7. Then, blow up and tie another balloon, this time about halfway to two-thirds full.)

“Even Christians are still like this balloon, but they have something special.” (Put a piece of duct tape over the balloon on two different sides.)

“They have God’s covering to protect them when bad stuff happens.” (Slowly twist the skewer through the tape, through the balloon and through the other side. Then show it to the kids.)

“Pretty cool, huh? The bad thing still happened to the balloon, but this time, it didn’t pop, because it had God’s covering.”

“God know where our weak areas are, and He will protect us in those places.”

“God protects us in another way, too.” (Blow up and tie another balloon about halfway to two-thirds full. Take one of the skewers, and dip it into the vegetable oil. Carefully twist the skewer into the nipple of the balloon (the thickest part at the very top) and then though the other side close to where you tied the knot.)

“Oil in the Bible often represents the anointing of the Lord. God anoints us when He has something special and difficult for us to do, and the anointing protects us from Satan’s attacks.”

“I know one more way God protects us!” (Light the candle. Use the medicine dropper to put one dropper-full of water into a balloon. Blow up the balloon and tie it with the water inside. Hold the balloon over the flame of the candle. You can even allow the flame to touch the balloon where the water settles.)

“If we will fill ourselves with Living Water by reading God’s Word every day, He will protect us from popping when Satan turns up the heat in our lives.” (Pass out balloons and other materials to the kids, and let them try the three experiments. Help them if they need it to tie balloons, pierce balloons with skewers and hold balloons over the flame. When they’ve all had a chance to try, discuss the Debrief Questions below. You can use the Rhyme Time to reinforce the main point of the lesson.)

Debriefing Questions

Why didn’t the balloons pop when the skewers went through them?

How about when you put the balloon over the flame?

How is this like how God protects us during times of suffering?

If you have to go through a time of suffering in the future, how will you handle it?

This Challenge makes the point that we can make a choice to honor God even if difficult situations. Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers, but he was such a trustworthy slave, that Potiphar put him in charge of everything in the house. When Joseph was accused by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison, the prison warden soon put everything under Joseph’s authority, because Joseph was so faithful in how he handled his responsibilities. Participants will plant flowers in a mixture of gravel and water jelly crystals to show that you can still bloom when you are in a bad place.

Scriptures

Genesis 37-50

John 4:10-14

Materials

Water Jelly Crystals – (You can order them from Steve Spangler Science for approximately $40 plus shipping and handling. (2.27 kg (5 pounds)
Item #: WSAC-900) Order early, because they may take up to two weeks to receive. It’s important that the crystals are clear and not colored. You can find these crystals at http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/product/1283.

Challenge Card (The file for printing is called, “JJ – Bloom Where You Are Planted – Challenge Card (CHALLENGE),” and it can be found on the Lesson and Material Downloads page at www.teachingthem.com. This can be printed in black and white on regular paper. There are two Challenge Cards per page.)

Small, potted flowers (preferably seedlings with some leaves but before they bloom, but this is flexible) – 1 per person

Small, clear, plastic cups – 1 per person

Gravel – enough to fill each plastic cup about ¾ full

Ziplock bags – gallon size – 1 per group

Scoops or large plastic spoons – 1 per group

Gallon jug of water – 1 per group

Preparation

Divide the water jelly crystals evenly so that you have the same amount for each group, and place them in Ziplock bags.

Add a scoop or large plastic spoon to each bag for scooping out crystals.

Add enough plastic cups for each person in each group.

Divide the gravel evenly among the groups, and put it into a bag or some other container for each group.

Set aside enough flowers for each person in each group.

Print out the Challenge Card document.

Cut the Challenge Card document in half (each half is identical), and put one in each Ziplock bag (one per group).

Practice the script.

Procedure

Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):

“We’re going to do a group Challenge today.”

“It’s called, “Bloom Where You Are Planted” and it’s part of the Joseph’s Journey Series.”

“First, I’ll need to divide you into groups.” (Divide the participants into the number of groups for which you have prepared kits.)

“Each group will have a Ziplock bag with a Challenge Card, cups, water jelly crystals, and a scoop or spoon.”

“Each group will also have some flowers, gravel and water.”

“When I tell you to go, open your Ziplock bags, and read the Challenge Card.”

“You will then take the small seedlings out of their planter and shake off the soil so that all you have is the plant with exposed roots.”

“This represents Joseph, who was taken out of the good soil of his home and family.”

“Next, take a handful of gravel rocks and a handful of water jelly crystals, and mix them together.”

“Then, put them into your clear, plastic cup.”

“This represents the bad soil that Joseph was planted in when he was sold into slavery by his brothers and then again later when he was thrown into prison for something he didn’t do.”

“Plants can’t usually grow in rocks, because they need nutrients from the soil and something to hold the water when it rains.”

“That’s why we added water jelly crystals. They hold water and help the roots to get the refreshing water that they need to grow.”

“So here’s the secret reason why Joseph was able to continue to grow even though he was in a bad place.”

“God was with him.”

“The water jelly crystals represent God’s presence in Joseph’s life.”

“Plants need normal water to thrive, but people need LIVING WATER, which is God’s Word and presence, to thrive.”

“Jesus says in John 4:10 that we can ask Him, and he will give us living water.”

“Then, He says in John 4:13-14 that ‘Everyone who drinks (regular) water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water (Jesus) gives them will never thirst. Indeed, the water (Jesus) gives them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”

“That means that if you depend on Jesus, you will have eternal life with Him in heaven.”

“Put your finger into the gravel and water jelly crystals and make a hole for the seedling to be planted in.”

“Then, plant the seedling in the gravel, and move the gravel and water jelly crystals around the root.”

“Finally, add some water to about halfway up the cup.”

“Now, let’s set these aside. We’ll watch them during the week (or weeks) to see if they thrive in their new soil. They may even bloom!”

(When you are finished, have them answer the Debrief Questions below (also on their Challenge Cards. The Rhyme Time is a reinforce to help them remember that if they continue to trust God, He will make even difficult situations a blessing for them.)

Debriefing Questions

Do you think the flower will bloom where you planted it? Why or why not?

For summer camp this year, I’ve written ten Challenges (Bible activities for small groups and a leader to do together – sometimes in competition with other groups) and some large group lessons on the story of Joseph. They are all located on the Lesson and Material Downloads page (see the link at the top of the screen), and you can find them alphabetically in the list. They all start with the letters “JJ” for “Joseph’s Journey.”

Audience

Teen Girls

Time

30-45 minutesDescription

These scenarios are intended to provide conversation starters for teen girls and a skilled and caring mentor. They can also be used in group settings, but an adult guide should still be present to provide perspective and wisdom. The cards address many challenging situations in which young girls might find themselves.

Scriptures

o N/A

Materials

o Scenarios worksheets (attached – 1 per person) or “Conversation Starters for Teenage Girls – Cards” (a file that you can download at www.teachingthem.com on the Lesson and Material Downloads page.

o Something to write with (if you use the worksheet – 1 per person)

o Something to write on (if you use the worksheet – 1 per person)

o Bible

Preparation

o Review the scenarios and delete or pull out any that you don’t want to address.

o Print the worksheets (1 per person) or the scenario cards (1 per group)

o Practice the script.

Procedure

Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):

“There are many challenging situations facing teenage girls today.”

“If you haven’t thought about how you will prepare for them or respond to them, they could surprise you, and you might find yourself under pressure to make the wrong decision.”

“Today, we are going to ask you to think about some of these situations and give your opinion about how you should prepare for or respond to them.” (If you are using the worksheet, pass it out now, and let the girls have 15-20 minutes to complete it. You can then discuss their answers as a group, or you can have them turn them in so that you can review them before discussing them at your next meeting. If you are using the cards, lay them face-down in the center of the group, and have the girls take turns drawing one and responding to it. Then, allow the other girls to share their thoughts, as well. Sometimes what they say will be enough on the topic, but at other times, you may need to redirect them by sharing your perspective. Whenever possible, reference biblical principles.)

SCENARIO WORKSHEET

Take some time, and read through each of the following scenarios. Write how you think you should handle each situation on a separate sheet of paper. Be sure to number your answers.

1. You and your boyfriend have been dating for three months. Recently, he has begun to bring up the subject of sex to get your opinion on it. He says that he wouldn’t ever want to do anything that you didn’t want to do, but you can tell that he is hoping you will say it is okay.

2. One of your girlfriends confessed to you that she has been thinking about suicide. Her parents have been fighting for years and are now going through a divorce. She is unpopular at school, and the boys make fun of her because she is heavy. Recently, she has even stopped turning in her homework, and her failing grades are getting her into trouble with her parents and with school administrators.

3. At a party, a popular girl invites you to join her and her friends as they take hits of acid. You initially say, “No, thanks….I’m okay,” but they begin to make fun of you for being so “straight” and “pure.” They laugh at you and tell you it’s time to grow up and stop being such a little girl.

4. You are out driving on a date with a cute boy, and he reaches across you to open the glove compartment of his car. As he does so, his arm brushes your chest. You are embarrassed, but he is very apologetic, so you say it was no big deal. However, an hour later, he does the same thing at dinner as he reaches for the ketchup.

5. You and a girlfriend are out at the mall. As she reaches to pick out a bracelet that she likes, you see that she has several dark bruises on her arm under her shirtsleeve. When you ask her about it, she says that she bumped into something, but you aren’t convinced. The bruises look like finger marks from her arm being squeezed too hard. You keep asking her about it until she confesses that her boyfriend got angry the other day and shook her a little. She assures you that it’s the first time anything like this has ever happened.

6. The word is out all over school about a famous celebrity sex video, and you are surprised to find that someone has sent you the link through email. Your friend is watching over your shoulder when you open the email and tells you that you should click on the link. “Everyone has seen it except us,” she says.

7. Report cards come out, and you are surprised to see that you got a “B” in a class that you should have failed. You didn’t turn in three assignments this semester, and you’ve been dreading getting your grades. What was even more surprising is that your teacher commented on how much you’ve improved in getting your homework done. You’re pretty sure that he made some kind of mistake in his grade book, but you are reluctant to bring it up, because an “F” means you will be grounded and miss this weekend’s social.

8. A friend has started to look tired all the time. She has dark patches under her eyes, and she no longer seems to have any energy or spark. She has also been losing a lot of weight, which is confusing, because she eats more than you or any of your other friends. You’ve begun to wonder if she might be throwing up whenever she goes to the bathroom after you eat out together.

9. It is obvious to you that the girls who wear the tightest clothing and the shortest skirts get the most attention from the guys. You’ve always been modest in what you wear, but it hurts that none of the guys is ever interested in you. One guy even asked you why you wear “old lady” clothes.

10. You’re out at the movies with a guy. When he opens his wallet to pay for your tickets, you notice that he has several condoms in it.

11. You catch your older brother looking at a pornographic magazine in his room. He first begs you not to tell, then threatens to get you back if you say anything to Mom or Dad.

12. You wake up late one night when you hear a noise in the dark. You look out your window and see your older sister sneaking back into her room. You look at the clock and see that it’s 4:30 a.m. The next morning, your parents tell you to wake up your sister, and you smell alcohol on her breath when you go to get her.

13. You’ve got a new teacher – a young guy just out of college, and he is really cute. All the girls are talking about him. One day, he asks you to stay for a few minutes after class so that he can talk to you about your last paper. He is very excited about your writing abilities and tells you that you have talent. This meeting is followed by several others, and he offers to coach you to help you really develop your writing skills. You have been meeting a few times a week after school for several weeks, and one day at your meeting, he reaches out and puts his hand on yours.

14. One of your girlfriends just found out that she is pregnant. She says that there is no way she can have a baby. Her parents would do something crazy like sending her to live with her aunt in another state. Her boyfriend is trying to help her raise the money for the abortion pill, and she has asked if you can help out with a little money.

15. One of the girls in your first period class is upset, because someone stole her iPod out of her backpack. This girl is really irritating and has always been mean to you, and you are a little amused to see that something bad has finally happened to her. Unfortunately, you know who stole the iPod. You saw one of your good friends listening to it yesterday after school, and you know it is the same iPod because of a scratch that it has on the back cover.

16. You are at a school social with some friends. When it is time to leave, you realize that the friend who drove you there has been drinking and is in no condition to drive. You offer to drive for her, but she refuses and says that she is just fine.

17. You are at a concert with some friends, and someone passes a joint down the row of seats. You expect your friends to pass it back the other way, but to your surprise, they all take a hit and then pass it to you. When you start to refuse, they begin to tease you and put the joint in your face. They say that you are going to get high off the second-hand smoke anyway – why not enjoy it all the way?

18. You’ve told your parents that you are going to a sleepover at a friend’s house, but when you get there, you find out that the girls have planned a secret trip to a local dance club. They are busy getting dressed and putting on make-up so that they look “legal,” and one of the girls says that she is a good friend with the gatekeeper at the door. He promised that he would let them all in as long as they looked old enough.

19. While at the mall one weekend, you and your girlfriend meet a couple of cute guys. They are from your school, but you don’t really know them. You eat together at one of the fast-food places, and then the guys ask if the two of you can give them a ride home. When you hesitate, they say, “Come on, it’s not far from here. It will only take you a few minutes.”

20. You get a friend request from someone on Facebook. You don’t recognize the name, but they have lots of the same friends as you, so you approve the request. As soon as you do, the person starts to chat with you. You start to chat while looking up his profile. Unfortunately, you still don’t recognize him, but he looks pretty normal in his photos and he goes to the same high school as you. He is asking you questions about what you like to do on the weekends and when you aren’t working on homework.

Audience

Teens, Adults

Time

30-35 minutesDescription

This game helps participants to remember that we have an Enemy (Satan) and that he is constantly trying to take away from us what God has given to us. If we don’t do battle for it, we can easily lose it. The “Promised Land” in our lives can be anything that you want to focus on for this lesson (e.g., a people group for Christ, God’s purposes for our lives, our children, our marriages, our health….)

The Bible story is about Caleb, who received the hills of Hebron as a promise from God (Numbers 14:24). In order to reclaim the land, though, Caleb had to fight against the Anakim (or Anakites), a fierce and giant people. (Goliath, the giant that David defeated, was a descendent of the Anakim.)

Scriptures

o Genesis 13:14-18

o Numbers 14:24

o Joshua 14:6-15

Materials

o Gameboards (one for every two people – you can make these yourself or use the template in the file, “Reclaim the Promised Land – Game Kit.ppt” at www.teachingthem.com on the Lesson and Material Downloads page.

o Rules & Instructions Sheet (one per pair of participants (you can find this in the same file)

o Sample Game sheet (one per pair of participants (you can find this in the same file))

o Debrief questions sheet (one per pair of participants (you can find this in the same file))

o Game pieces (24 for each player – you can find these in the same file)

o Cutting board or scissors

o Glue stick

o Ziplock bags (gallon size – one per pair of participants)

o Bible

Preparation

o Create a gameboard (one for every pair of participants), or print out the one in the file mentioned above. (You can do variations of this game by creating larger gameboards and larger game pieces so that groups can compete against each other, or you could even do a life-size version by marking off the gameboard grid on the floor and making the participants into game pieces. If you make the participants into game pieces, you will need to give them cards to hold or wear around their necks that are different colors on each side so that they can flip them to show who they belong to.)

o Print out the game pieces in the file mentioned above (48 for each pair of participants). There is a sheet of blue pieces and a sheet of red pieces.

o Glue the two game pieces sheets together back-to-back so that the red pieces show on one side and the blue pieces show on the other. The “Top” of each page is labeled so that you can line them up precisely. (Be careful not to use too much glue that it creates bumps in the paper, but be sure to evenly coat the entire page before you glue the two sheets together. If your glue coating isn’t even, some of your pieces might not stick together after you cut them up.)

o Allow time for drying.

o Cut the pieces out along the border lines. If you were careful to line up the two sheets of paper, you will then have 48 game pieces that are red on one side and blue on the other.

o Put a gameboard, 48 game pieces, a Rules & Instructions Sheet and a Debrief Questions sheet in a plastic zipper bag for each pair of participants. (This will make it easier to pass out the games when it comes time.)

Procedure

Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):

“When Abraham (“Abram” at the time) left his people and his home, God took him to a new land and made him a promise.” (Have a volunteer read Genesis 13:14-18.)

“God gave Abraham what was then known as the land of Canaan.”

“Abraham lived in it for some years, and so did his son, Isaac, and his grandson, Jacob, but then God took Abraham’s descendents into Egypt for about 400 years.”

“While in Egypt, they became slaves to the Egyptians and cried out to God for help.”

“God sent them Moses, who led them out of Egypt and showed them where the ‘Promised Land’ (promised to Abraham and his descendents) was.”

“Unfortunately, when they saw the enemies living in their land, they lacked the faith to trust God to help them reclaim it.”

“So, God made them wander in the desert for 40 years, until the old generation of Israelites had died and a new generation was ready to reclaim the Promised Land.”

“There were only two people left from the old generation who were allowed to enter the Promised Land.”

“Forty years earlier, Joshua and Caleb had scouted the land, seen the terrible enemies but still believed that God would give them the land.”

“For their faithfulness, God allowed them lead the rest of the people into the land.”

“God made Joshua the leader of all the Israelites, and He made Caleb a special promise.” (Have a volunteer read Numbers 14:24.)

“Caleb remembered the promise, and even though he was 85 years by the time he was ready to claim it and even though the land was full of giants, he was still strong and ready to do battle against those enemies in order to reclaim it.” (Have a volunteer read Joshua 14:6-15.)

“Caleb is an inspiration for us even today, because we are still engaged in a battle for ‘the Promised Land’ in our own lives.”

“’The Promised Land’ in your life is anything that God wants you to have that your Enemy, Satan, has taken away.”

“We’re going to play a game that deals with this ongoing battle, and I hope it will help you remember that you have to keep fighting to keep position of your ‘Promised Land.’”

“We’ve got to be like Caleb, who continued fighting the toughest enemies into his eighties!” (Divide group into pairs.)

“I’m passing out to each pair a game kit, that has the gameboard, game pieces and rules and instructions for the game.”

“Please read over the rules and instructions, and let me know if you have any questions.”

“There is a ‘Sample Game’ sheet in your game kit that shows what a typical game might look like.” (Allow them to read over the instructions and ask any questions before beginning. Then, allow the pairs to play the game. Afterward, have them discuss the Debrief Questions and then rejoin their table groups. Conduct a large group debrief to capture some of the strategies for reclaiming territory Satan has stolen and for protecting territory we have already claimed from him. Conclude with a final comment. You can use the following one if you like.)

“While the Israelites were in Egypt, Satan stole the Promised Land from them.”

“But God had promised this land to Abraham’s people, and it was His will that they take it back.”

“While we or those who came before us have been in Egypt (Egypt usually represents sin, pride and trusting in our own efforts in the Bible), Satan has stolen much of the territory that God wants us to have.”

“It’s time for us to have the courage and determination of Caleb to reclaim our Promised Land.”

“We won’t get it without a fight, but if we trust in God, He will be faithful to give us victory.”